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THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


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STRANGE STORY OF MR. 
DOG AND MR. BEAR 

WHEN CHRISTMAS CAME 
TOO EARLY 

THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 




. 











The Rosebud Fairy tells the Princess all she must do with 
the gift of the magic casket. Frontispiece. 


THE MAGIC 
SLIPPERS 


BY 

MABEL FULLER BLODGETT 


With Illustrations 
by the Author 



BOSTON 

LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY 
1917 




Copyright, 1917, 

By Little, Brown, and Company. 
All rights reserved 


Published, September, 1917 


ql A 


/ 


SEP 13 1917 


THE COLONIAL PRESS 
C. H. SIMONDS CO., BOSTON, U. S. A. 


©Cl. A 4 76 061 

„ 



* 




ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOR 


The Rosebud Fairy teils the Princess 
all she must do with the gift of 
the magic casket . . Frontispiece v 

The Mermaid was certainly a lovely 
creature with sea green hair of 
the fashionable shade . . Page 44 

The White Cat awakens the Ogre with 

a tap of her paw . . “ 72 

The Prince must place the magic slip- 
per on Florizelle’s dainty foot .. “ 88 




THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


When Princess Florizelle was seven 
years old, her royal mamma took her 
by the hand and led her out into the 
garden. There in one corner stood 
a beautiful rosebush, and upon it 
seven snow-white half-opened buds. 

“ One for each year of your life, my 
little daughter,” said the Queen, “ and 
from to-day you must not forget to 
tend and water and love this particu- 
lar rosebush, for its welfare is very 
important to your happiness.” 

Then she led Florizelle back into 
the Palace, and when they had 
I 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


reached the royal nursery, she took 
the Princess on her knee and told her 
all about the matter. 

You see, Florizelle came of a very 
noble and very ancient family, and 
for more years than any one could 
count, the eldest son or daughter of 
the reigning house had always been 
given at the age of seven a rosebush 
like the one then blooming in the 
Palace garden. It was a magic rose- 
bush, so that it did not matter in the 
least at what time of the year these 
birthdays came, there were always 
seven beautiful rosebuds waiting. 
Afterwards — that was another mat- 
ter. If the heir or heiress to the 


2 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


throne were cruel or vain or lazy, the 
rosebush would droop or even die, 
and if it were not carefully and lov- 
ingly tended, it would soon show it 
in the stunted, withered flowers it 
would yield. 

When any of these things hap- 
pened, it became a serious matter, for 
at seventeen the royal owner had to 
dig down into the earth about its 
roots and there would find a chest of 
gold, and the gift within depended 
on his or her former conduct and the 
way in which the rosebush had 
flourished. 

Thus, as the Queen told her little 
daughter, strange things had hap- 


3 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


pened. Florizelle’s grandfather had 
found a sword in his chest, and with 
it had vanquished all his enemies; an- 
other ancestor had his chest filled 
with ducats, with which he had been 
able to bring his inheritance back to 
prosperity and fruitfulness. 

One high-born dame had grown up 
selfish and neglectful of everything 
but her own pleasure and comfort. 
Her rosebush had been but a stilted, 
barren plant, and in her chest she 
found only a pinch of dust. What 
happened then was a sad and awful 
warning to her descendants, for from 
that hour she grew daily thinner 
and thinner, and skinnier and more 
4 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


dried-up looking, till at last she 
actually blew away like the dust in 
the casket. 

Another Princess had been careful 
to water her rosebush and tend it 
daily, but she did not love it in the 
least, or anybody or anything, and 
was hard and cruel to all about her. 
Her rosebush put on^ great thorns 
and bore no flowers whatsoever, and 
when she opened her golden chest, 
she shrieked aloud in mingled fear and 
anger, for here was only a heap of 
fetters. In her rage she chopped the 
plant into a thousand pieces; but this 
did her no good, for a little later her 
subjects rebelled, and she was thrown 
5 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


into prison, and wore for the rest of 
her life chains like those which she 
had found in the chest of gold. 

When Florizelle heard all this, her 
eyes grew big with wonder, and she 
shrank closer to her mother’s side; 
but the good Queen, reading her 
thoughts, bade her take courage, for 
she told the Princess that if only she 
were gentle and true and loving, and 
did not neglect her charge, she would 
be sure to find a fair gift of great value 
in her golden casket; and that she 
must cherish whatever she found 
there, and never lose it or give it 
away, for though it sometimes hap- 
pened that the magic present brought 
6 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


trouble in tlie beginning, it would be 
only working in its own way for the 
owner's real happiness. 

These words sank deep into the 
little maiden's heart, and as the years 
went by the rosebush grew and 
flourished mightily, and Florizelle 
watched over it with unfailing care, 
till at last nobody could see the silvery 
sheen of the magic flowers without 
thinking at once of the Princess, just 
as nobody could see the Princess 
without comparing her immediately 
in his mind with the pure fragrance- 
laden blossoms. 

The King and Queen were de- 
lighted, for here was truth and no 
7 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


flattery, and they and all the Court, 
and of course Florizelle herself, could 
hardly wait for the eventful seven- 
teenth birthday to dawn. At length 
it came, and with hands trembling 
with excitement the Princess seized 
the silver shovel which the Head 
Gardener presented to her, and began 
to dig down among the roots of the 
fairy rosebush. 

Sure enough, in a few moments she 
struck something hard, and soon un- 
covered the corner of an engraved 
golden chest. These magic caskets 
varied in size, and Florizelle’s was 
not very big. When at last it was 
lifted from its earthy bed, it was seen 
8 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


that on 
two sides 
of it were 
graven 
scenes in 
the Princess’s childhood and girlhood, 
while the other two sides were 
smoothly polished; and the Queen 
Mother explained that this was not 
unusual, and that the doings and life 
of the Princess would magically ap- 
pear carved on the blank sides of the 
casket just as soon as anything of im- 
portance should happen to her. 

Florizelle, at her father’s command, 
now pressed the spring that opened 
the magic box, and the lid flew back, 



9 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


disclosing a small pair of sky-blue 
velvet shoes, thickly encrusted with 
pearls. The Princess, hardly know- 
ing what to make of this strange gift, 
slipped the shoes on her feet, and at 
once she felt an irresistible desire to 
leave the Palace and seek her fortune 
in the outer world. In fact, the wish 
was so strong that it was hard work 
for her to tarry long enough to explain 
matters to her father and mother, and 
it was quite impossible for her to 
wait for an escort. The King and 
Queen realized that this was fairy 
work, and could not be gainsaid, and 
they therefore sadly watched Flori- 
zelle trip lightly away, and comforted 


io 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


themselves as best they could with 
the thought that since the Princess 
was so sweet and loving, the gift 
must have been a good gift, and that 
if she cherished it and obeyed its 
promptings she would return safe 
and happy; and that in the mean 
time, though they could not help or 
hinder, they could watch the new 
carving on the golden chest as fast 
as it appeared, and so know some- 
thing of what was happening to their 
absent daughter. 

We will leave them, therefore, in 
their Palace and return to the Prin- 
cess, who by this time had reached 
the outskirts of her father's city and 


ii 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


was now on the King’s highway. 
The blue shoes seemed to have 
wings, so easily did they go along, 
and Florizelle, who had never walked 
farther than a short stroll about the 
royal park or to and from her car- 
riage, was not in the least tired. 

It was very interesting to her, this 
view of the open country, and she 
liked the loneliness, for by this time 
she had left even the outlying ham- 
lets behind and there was not in sight 
so much as a peasant to stand and 
stare and pull his forelock, or a 
marketwoman to drop a curtsey as 
she passed. Before her stretched 
dark and lonelier still a strip of wood- 


12 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


land, and without faltering, the blue 
shoes made their way along a nar- 
row path that led deeper and deeper 
into the depths of the forest. Here 
it was always twilight, and Florizelle 
began to be a little frightened, the 
great trees were so solemn and still 
and the silence so unbroken. But 
the shoes went on as swiftly as be- 
fore and only stopped when a gruff 
voice bade the Princess halt. 

Very much frightened now indeed, 
Florizelle obeyed, for in all her life 
no one had ever spoken to her like 
this, nor had her eyes ever rested on 
such a group of men as now came 
forth from behind the trees and quite 
i3 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


surrounded the trembling Princess. 
They looked fierce and wild and 
wicked, as indeed they really were, 
for poor Florizelle had walked 
straight into the clutches of a famous 
robber band, and with rough hands 
they now tore off her gown of silver 
tissue, her necklace, rings, and brace- 
lets, and even the new velvet shoes, 
whose garniture of pearls made the 
thieves’ eyes glisten. Then carelessly 
throwing the Princess a ragged skirt 
and bodice, such as some beggar 
maid might wear, to replace her own 
beautiful frock, the thieves departed, 
having already begun to quarrel over 
the division of the spoils. 


14 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


Florizelle threw herself at the foot 
of a giant oak and wept bitterly, till 
at last, worn out with sorrow and 
fatigue, she fell asleep. When she 
awoke her outstretched hand touched 
something soft, and there to her sur- 
prise were the magic shoes, none the 
worse for their adventure. She put 
them on, and straightway turned to 
the right at their bidding, and before 
long the Princess found herself on 
the outskirts of a village which she 
had never seen before. 

Feeling not only tired, but hungry, 
she stopped at the first cottage and 
knocked at the door, which was barred 
fast 

i5 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


“ Who is there ?” asked a voice 
from within. 

“ The Princess Florizelle,” an- 
swered the maiden. 

At this the door 
swung open 
and an aged 
crone with her 
hand full of 
hazel switches, 
looked out. 
When she saw the 
waiting girl, she 
almost choked 
with laughter, for, as you must 
know, there are many people in 
this world who never see anything 
16 



THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


besides a person’s clothes and rate 
everybody according to the cut and 
quality of their raiment. Any one 
with half an eye would have known 
at once that, despite the rags, this 
was a true princess; but such an idea 
never entered into the old woman’s 
head as, putting forth a skinny hand, 
she pulled the shrinking Florizelle 
over the threshold. 

As the Princess entered the cot- 
tage, the firelight shone on the pearls 
which ornamented the blue velvet 
slippers, and the crone’s eye was 
caught by their lustre. At once she 
made up her mind by hook or by 
crook to get possession of these jew- 
17 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


els, and suddenly changing her man- 
ner, became very polite and agree- 
able, and setting forth bread and 
milk and a few dried dates, bade the 
Princess eat as much as she wanted. 

This Florizelle was very glad to 
do, and she suspected no evil when 
the crone asked her to come with 
her to a friend’s house, “ where,” said 
she, “ you may find shelter.” 

The old woman took her straight 
to the home of the village Judge, and 
there, to the Princess’s amazement, 
she accused the royal maiden of hav- 
ing stolen the magic shoes, for, she 
went on, “ how could a kitchen 
wench — her ragged clothes well 
18 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


showing what she is — how could 
such a one ever own shoes with 
pearls like these ?” Then she whis- 
pered secretly to the Judge, whose 
covetous eyes by this time had fixed 
themselves in their turn on the velvet 
shoes, and the upshot of it all was 
that the spoils were divided between 
them, the crone getting one shoe and 
the Judge the other. 

Then the poor Princess was con- 
demned, as punishment, to labor for 
the hag as servant for a year, and 
the two wicked old people parted, 
well pleased with their day’s work. 

It certainly seemed as though the 
gift in the golden casket had thus 
19 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


far brought nothing but trouble; but 
Florizelle remembered, however, the 
Queen Mother’s words, and so flung 
herself to sleep on the wretched bed 
of straw provided for .her, with the 
thought of better days to follow. 

In the morning, to her repeated 
surprise, the velvet shoes were lying 
on the floor by her side, just as if 
nothing had happened; and she put 
them on, hoping they would bear her 
swiftly away, and was both aston- 
ished and disappointed when they 
seemed perfectly content to remain 
where they were. A pair of clumsy 
wooden shoes had been provided for 
her, and the Princess accordingly 


20 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


slipped these on over her velvet slip- 
pers, so that they were quite con- 
cealed from view. 

Hardly had she done so when her 
new mistress appeared, in a rage 
over the disappearance of her new- 
found pearls, and, aiming a blow with 
her switch at the Princess, bade her 
harshly get about her work, as no idle 
mouths would be fed in that cottage. 

Poor Florizelle accordingly finished 
dressing as quickly as possible, and 
all that day worked hard for her 
exacting and complaining mistress; 
and not alone that day, but for many 
days, until, Princess as she was, there 
was little left for her to learn about 


21 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


housework, and even the old crone 
could find no fault with her butter 
and cheese, or with the various dishes 
that she learned to make. 

As the magic shoes bore her about 
her tasks but never away from them, 
Florizelle tried to please her mistress 
by inventing several new pastries and 
sweetmeats, and succeeded so well 
that the old woman began to boast 
of her servant's skill, till at length 
word of it reached the ears of the 
Head Cook of the King who ruled 
over the country adjoining that 
owned by the Princess's father. 

He accordingly sent for Florizelle, 
and her mistress having very unwill- 


22 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


ingly given her leave to 
go and the velvet 
shoes now point- 7^ 
ing in the same 
direction, the 
royal maiden 
began to hope 
that her 
troubles 
were near- 
ing an end. 

Now the 
Head Cook 
was very 
fat and lazy, and when he found that 
this new kitchen wench knew her 
business, he thought it would be a 

23 



THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


fine idea to let her do most of his 
work, and if it were satisfactory, he 
would reap the reward ; and if it 
didn’t suit, why, Florizelle was there 
to bear the blame. So he got a com- 
fortable armchair and stationed him- 
self in a sunny corner of the kitchen, 
and puffed out his cheeks to make 
himself look important, and occasion- 
ally said, “ More salt,” “ Less pep- 
per,” or something of that sort, just 
to show .that he was master of that 
particular department ; while Flori- 
zelle tripped busily about in her velvet 
shoes, which the Head Cook thought 
rather queer foot-gear for a serving- 
maid, and also that the pearls were 


24 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


undoubtedly imitation, and then gave 
himself no more concern over the 
matter. 

When the dinner was served, the 
young King was delighted. He 
thought, to be sure, much more of 
hunting than of fine eating, and never 
lingered long at the banquet ; but 
something about this particular cook- 
ery struck him as being very unusu- 
ally nice, and he sent his compli- 
ments to the Head Cook, and a purse 
of gold, in consequence. 

Now it chanced that there was a 
certain small Page who had seen 
Florizelle and had fallen in love with 
her sweet ways and lovely face. 

25 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


This Page disliked the 
Head Cook for being so 
pompous and dis- 
agreeable as much as 
he liked the 
new kitchen 
maid. Flori- 
zelle always 
had a piece 
of citron or 
an orange in her apron pocket for the 
pretty boy, and the Head Cook had, 
on the other hand, only a scowl for 
him and never so much as a sugared 
doughnut; so when he saw that the 
wrong person altogether was getting 
day by day the King’s rewards, he 
26 




THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


stepped up to his royal master and 
whispered the true state of the case 
into his listening ear. Something the 
Page said about the beauty of the new 
serving wench and the wonderful 
shoes she wore made the King curi- 
ous, and he ordered Florizelle to 
come before him. 

The royal messenger hurried her 
away without giving the Princess 
time to so much as put on a clean 
frock; but the King was a very dif- 
ferent person from the old crone, the 
Judge, and the Head Cook, and no 
humble attire could hide from his 
keen eyes the noble air of breeding 
with which this maiden bore herself 
27 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


when ushered into the royal pres- 
ence. 

Her beauty, too, was quite as ap- 
parent as her grace, and when on 
being questioned she replied, “ I am 
the Princess Florizelle,” the King be- 
lieved her at once, and found nothing 
to laugh at in the statement. So he 
seated the former kitchen maid at 
his right hand, and, after dismissing 
his courtiers, begged her to tell him 
all that had happened and why he 
had found her in such an unlikely 
place for a lady of rank to be. 

Florizelle at once related the whole 
story, and the longer the King 
listened and the longer he looked at 
28 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


the maiden, the more enraptured did 
he become; and the longer the Prin- 
cess talked and the longer she looked 
at the King, the 
more enchanted 
was she with 
her auditor, till 
at last it was 
hard to say 
which had 
fallen the 
more deeply in 
love. 

Things having come to this pass, 
it is not surprising that they both had 
the same thought at the same time. 
What if the magic shoes should sud^ 
29 




THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


denly bear her away from happiness 
and new-found peace, only to plunge 
her into new sorrows and difficulties? 

The Princess knew that she must 
go wherever they led, and the King 
knew it too, and I am sorry to say that 
these two hasty young people forgot 
the wise Queen Mother's warning, 
and, Florizelle consenting, the King 
tossed the magic slippers into the fire 
that blazed on the hearth near at 
hand. 

Hardly had he done so when an 
icy blast blew through the throne 
room and put the fire out ; at the 
same instant the lightning flashed, 
thunder pealed with deafening roars 


30 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


that shook the whole Palace, and 
Florizelle uttered a cry of dismay, 
for she had tried to reach the King's 
side, and, behold, her feet would not 
move. The terrible storm raged on, 
and at its height a blaze of lightning 
revealed a figure draped in shimmer- 
ing raiment, with uplifted threaten- 
ing finger and beautiful, angry face. 

“ I am the Fairy of the Rosebush 
and of the Golden Chest,” said she. 
“ Had you trusted me a little longer, 
you, King, would have won Flori- 
zelle as your bride; and you, Prin- 
cess, would have returned at once to 
your home, a great and happy Queen. 
Now for your disobedience I will 
3i 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


take from you the magic slippers and 
the chest of gold, and until they be 
restored to you, as a living, breath- 
ing statue shall you be, for not one 
step can you take until you again 
wear the shoes that were about to 
lead you into the paths of joy and 
peace.” 

So saying, the Fairy disappeared, 
and with her went the storm that 
had preceded her coming, but the sun 
shone through the clouds without in 
vain, for darkness had fallen alike on 
King and Princess and their hearts 
were sad within them. But even in 
this new misfortune, for which, to be 
sure, Florizelle was partly to blame, 
32 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


the sweetness of the Princess's 
temper did not desert her, and she 
tried to cheer the King, who was 
quite desperate at the plight of his 
sweetheart, and could be consoled 
only at the thought of finding and 
putting on the maiden's feet with his 
own hand the self-same slippers he 
had so rashly thrown in the fire. 

Meanwhile poor Florizelle was 
placed by tender hands on a flower- 
strewn couch, music and every sort 
of entertainment was ordered for her, 
and the King bade his Court obey 
her as their mistress, since she was 
to be his Queen should fortune favor 
him in the quest which he was about 
33 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


to undertake. The Prime Minister 
was meanwhile to rule the kingdom 
during the rightful sovereign’s ab- 
sence, and the King commanded him 
to guard the Princess as his own life 
and never let 
her out of his 
keeping for 
an instant. 

Then came 
the parting; 
and the Princess felt her misfortune 
keenly, since it was now impossible for 
her to follow her lover even so far as 
the Palace courtyard, there to see him 
mount the horse that was to bear 
him hence. As for the King, he 
34 



THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


dared not linger, lest his heart fail 
him altogether, and he therefore 
spurred his steed forward without so 
much as a single backward glance at 
the Palace which held the lady of his 
love. 

He was going now to the home of 
his old Nurse, where a welcome 
always awaited him and where he 
hoped to find help of some kind. She 
was what is called a White Witch; 
that is, she dealt in magic, but never 
to the hurt of any living thing. She 
cured the peasants’ cows for miles 
around, doctored with her herbs all 
the sick of the country-side, gave po- 
tions to make the maidens comely 
35 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


and the men strong, and settled many 
a dispute with words so full of wis- 
dom that none might contradict her. 

When the King came riding up, 
she knew at once from his face that 
he was in sore trouble, and, though 
a man grown, he was still to her the 
child she had held on her knee, and 
she comforted him now much as she 
used to when in old days he had 
fallen and bumped his princely head, 
and had come to her to be petted. 

So she made him sit down in her 
warm kitchen and tell her all about 
it, while she donned a new lace cap 
and snowy kerchief in honor of his 
visit, and then she took some tea 
36 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


leaves in a saucer and regarded them 
closely, and at last she said, — 

“ The Maiden sleeps 
Till the Mermaid weeps,” 

and bade him seek the golden chest 
beneath the waters of the Seventh 
Sea. She told him that a Mermaid 
guarded there the chest and its con- 
tents, and that if he could but make 
the sea-maiden weep, he could get 
the Fairy’s gift from her and so 
break the spell that bound his own 
fair Princess. 

“ But Florizelle doesn’t sleep,” ob- 
jected the King. “ She can’t move, 
that’s all.” 

“ It’s near enough,” answered his 


37 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


old Nurse, really testily for her, 
“ quite near enough for poetry. It’s 
just the same as sleeping if she 
doesn't move, and as for talking, 
there's a many that talks in their 
sleep, I can tell you. Now, deary, 
don't go to losing time in such ques- 
tions, but come take off your boots 
till I shake in some of my magic 
fern-seed; one kind makes people in- 
visible when they walk the earth, as, 
of course, you've heard, but this kind 
will make it so that you can go 
under the water without a-drownden' 
of yourself. Nasty, wet place it is, 
too; but I'll slip this onion into your 
pocket and it will keep off the rheu- 
38 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 



Then the old Nurse made her dar- 
ling promise to stay one night in the 
cottage, and had the best sheets air- 
ing in a trice, and the horse stabled; 
and in the morning she gave him a 
fine breakfast, with just the sort of 
flapjacks he had liked as a child, and 
sent him off in the right direction in 
much better spirits. 

So the King rode on and on, and 


39 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


at last, one fine morning, he reached 
the blue rolling waters of the Seventh 
Sea, and turning loose his horse, he 
mounted with great courage an over- 
hanging rock and cast himself boldly 
downward. 

The waters parted and met again 
above his head, and still he sank 
deeper and deeper, till at last his feet 
touched bottom and he paused in 
amazement to look about him. As he 
did so, a big shark came up and nearly 
knocked him down ; but the King 
drew his sword and valiantly attacked 
the monster, who, to his Majesty’s 
intense surprise, burst out laugh- 
ing, for the sword-point had not 
40 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


been able to penetrate his tough skin 
and had simply tickled him in the 
ribs. 

A number of mischievous sea-ur- 
chins now ran along, and began to call 
after the retreating figure of the 
King in the most disrespectful man- 
ner. “ Look at him,” they cried. 
“ Look at the tailless creature, and 
not so much as a fin about him!” 
“ Nor a scale!” cried another. The 
sea creatures all about joined in the 
din, and presently along came a crab 
running backward as hard as ever he 
could, with his very eyes popping out 
a full half-inch from his head with 
excitement. 


4i 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


“ That queer looking mortal’s a 
King! ” he gasped in a whisper to the 
lobster nearest him. “ I know, be- 
cause I saw one once walking on 
the beach.” The lobster at once 
turned bright red with astonishment 
and gurgled out the news to a big 
oyster near at hand, who immedi- 
ately swallowed his best pearl the 
wrong way, he was so excited, and 
had hard work gasping and sputter- 
ing out the secret to his first cousin, 
Mr. Clam, who was himself so sur- 
prised, he shut up like — well, like a 
clam, and I don’t know just who 
would have heard the news next, be- 
cause a swordfish policeman came by 


42 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


at that moment and drove away the 
crowd. 

The King asked this official to 
kindly point out the nearest road to 
the Mermaid’s Palace, and tried hard 
to remember the directions, but only 
got as far as Eel Grass Grove, off Sea- 
weed Avenue, when an enormous lob- 
ster caught him by the buttonhole and 
insisted on pouring out a long story 
about some shrimps who claimed to 
be first cousins, and the King had 
to use all his wit to escape. At last 
he did get rid of the troublesome 
creature, and was rejoiced to see in 
the green distance the white coral 
mansion that he knew must be the 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


Mermaid's home, and very wonder- 
ful it was, shimmering there before 
him. 

In fact, as he went down the long 
avenue with hard sand underfoot and 
waving sea plants overhead that led 
to this beautiful building, the Mer- 
maid herself came out to meet him. 

She was indeed a lovely being, 
with flowing sea-green hair of the 
most fashionable shade, eyes deep 
and changeful as the sea, a white 
skin, and a graceful tail, whose 
scales of shimmering mother-of-pearl 
showed at once her noble birth, as 
even the most careless observer could 
see. 


44 



The Mermaid was certainly a lovely creature with sea green 
hair of the fashionable shade. 






















































THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


The King thought her a sweet 
creature, and she rather fancied him, 
and, as mermaids have no heart, it 
was impossible for her to go farther. 
She wished indeed that his hair had 
been the right ocean color, and that 
instead of those two awkward legs 
he might have been fortunate enough 
to have possessed a tail, but even 
with these disadvantages she was 
prepared to befriend him, and was 
as sorry as it was possible for her 
to be when he explained his mission 
and asked her please to shed a few 
tears. 

“ I have the chest of gold and its 
contents right enough,” she said, 
45 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


“ but very good care did the Fairy of 
the Rosebush take to weave a magic 
spell about them, which you say can 
be broken only by my tears. Alas! 
my friend, I have no heart and can- 
not grieve thus if I would. But stay 
awhile in this coral Palace of mine, 
and I will try to make you forget 
your disappointment. ,, 

So saying, she flung over the 
King's shoulders a chaplet of sea- 
anemones, which she told him to 
be careful to wear, since the decora- 
tion would serve as a safe-conduct 
among the many strange and terri- 
ble ocean monsters that he would 
meet, and then bidding him enter the 
46 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


inner court of the Palace, she showed 
him the golden casket. 

The King with a cry of joy at once 
rushed forward and tried to lift it 
in his arms, but though he strained 
and pulled with all his might it 
would not budge an inch for all his 
efforts. The pictured face of Flori- 
zelle looking up at • him from its 
graven side only increased his sor- 
row, while the Mermaid gazed at 
him with puzzled eyes and silently 
wondered at the curious ways of 
mortals. 

Then the King tried his best to 
open the golden chest; but here too 
he was quite as unsuccessful, and at 
47 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


last he gave it up for the present 
and tried to console himself with 
writing “ Florizelle ” on the sand as 
many times as possible. 

The Mermaid, finding this rather 
uninteresting, at last invited him to 
drive with her in the chariot of conch 
shell drawn by mettlesome sea-horses 
and reserved for the use of distin- 
guished visitors. 

To this the King assented, and I 
fear the Mermaid thought him rather 
poor company, for he spent the entire 
time of the drive in telling the most 
mournful stories and then watching 
her closely to see if at least a tear 
or two would not trickle down her 
48 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


cheek. But nothing of the kind hap- 
pened; and having reached the coral 
Palace once again, the Mermaid be- 
gan to show him some of her treas- 
ures. 

It was really a very unusual and 
interesting place, and if the King had 
been free from care, I think he 
would have enjoyed it all immensely. 
Even as it was, he could not help 
exclaiming at the loveliness of the 
fringed water plants, and at the 
strings of pearls as big as hazel nuts 
that the Mermaid hung about her 
milkwhite neck. Some of the sights 
were beautiful and some terrible, and 
some made him forget his troubles 


49 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


for the instant and laugh aloud, — 
as, for example, a crab race, where 
the victor was the one who went 
backward fastest; or a quarrel be- 
tween two squids, who kept squirting 
inky water at each other in a very 
amusing fashion. 

Suddenly, however, in the midst of 
all this entertainment, his old Nurse’s 
last words came to his mind, and he 
bethought him of the onion in his 
pocket. 

At the same instant the Mermaid 
spoke to him and asked him with 
some pride if he had ever looked 
upon such wonders on the earth from 
which he had come. 

50 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


“ Never,” replied the King; “ and 
yet,” he added, “ we too have some 
strange and curious things, the like 
of which you, on your part, I am 
sure, have never seen.” 

“ What can they be?” answered 
the Mermaid, bridling and tossing 
her head. “ You have horses, so 
have we; you have jewels, but do 
they equal my pearls? We have dog- 
fish and cat-fish, and you have dogs 
and cats. You have birds, we have 
flying fish; and as for flowers, well, 
you have just been in my conserva- 
tory. Have you anything as fine?” 

“ You are quite right,” the King 
replied humbly; “ but do you know I 
5i 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


rather think we have better vegeta- 
bles than you can boast.” And be- 
fore the Mermaid could answer, he 
whipped out from his inner pocket the 
onion which his old Nurse had given 
him to keep off rheumatism and held 
it out to the Mermaid. “ Put it to 
your nose,” he said, “ and see if its 
fragrance does not fully equal any 
flower in your sea country.” 

This the Mermaid did without de- 
lay, and, presto! how she sneezed; 
and joy! and rapture! how the tears 
rolled down her face as the fumes of 
the onion did their work. 


The Maiden sleeps 
Till the Mermaid weeps ! 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


cried the King in great excitement, 
and ran as fast as his legs could carry 
him to the inner court of the coral 
Palace, followed by the disgusted 
Mermaid, who swam slowly in her 
most dignified manner behind him, 
mopping her reddened eyes as she did 
so, though being as she was under the 
sea one finds it hard to believe that 
this was necessary. 

Here was the golden chest; and 
just as he had hoped, the spell that 
bound it to its ocean bed was loos- 
ened, and the King had no difficulty 
in raising it in his strong young 
arms. 

Then he had the manners to apolo- 

53 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


gize to the Mermaid, who, being a 
very good-natured if a somewhat 
shallow person, soon forgave him; 
and bearing his precious burden, he 
took at once the shortest road for 
home. 

But sometimes the longest way 
round is the shortest way. And that 
is how it was with the King, for in 
his joy at finding the golden box at 
last, he quite forgot that his direct 
road led through a Magic Forest, 
and that in its depths there dwelt 
many strange wild wood creatures, 
not to mention such bad fairies as 
would like nothing better than to tor- 
ment the unfortunate stranger who 
54 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


might chance to lose his way among 
their great trees. But the young 
King's thoughts were not troubled, 
since they were all of Florizelle. He 
had the precious casket tied to his 
back with a silken rope, and he en- 
tered the gloomy wood without a 
thought of fear, whistling and kick- 
ing last year's leaves aside, and mak- 
ing, oh, such glorious plans for the 
day when he should himself put the 
magic slippers on his fair one’s dainty 
feet! 

But alas! it is not always wise to 
be so heedless of danger. And soon 
it grew darker and darker. The wind 
rose and howled like a lost dog, the 
55 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


night became cold, the King grew 
chill, and as the wing of a great bat 
with fiery eyes brushed his face, he 
bethought him 



for the night, which was pitch black. 

He looked about and beheld moss- 
hung trees, gaunt and tall, and mock- 
ing faces grinning at him from behind 
huge trunks, unless indeed the shad- 
ows were playing strange tricks with 
56 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


his tired eyes. He trudged along, 
but he grew more and more weary, 
and now he was cold and hungry as 
well. So that when in the distance 
he saw a flickering light, he quick- 
ened his lagging steps, and his heart 
beat high with hope. 

On and on he went, sometimes 
breast high in brambles, and again 
nigh to his knees in bog land, but 
always forward, till at length he saw 
plainly what he sought, an enormous 
gray stone castle. On the steps near 
the massive door glowed a lighted 
torch. It was this, shining red 
through the blackness of the forest, 
that had lured the young King on. 

57 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 

And something else he saw. A 
giant, club in hand, but fast asleep, 
sitting on the top of these same 
granite steps. With great care the 


'K'ing approached 
the massive stair- 
way, which was 



so big it was 


very hard 


~ ^ for him to 


mount, but 
he man- 


aged it. By this time Florizelle’s 
lover was so hungry and cold that 
it would take more than a giant stair, 
or even a giant himself, to keep the 
wanderer out. 


58 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


Nevertheless he crept by the sleep- 
ing monster softly, and into the great 
hall of the castle, through which 
boomed, like the noise of muffled 
thunder, the snoring of a monster 
who lay, also asleep, by the fire 
within. Near the hearth by the 
creature’s side were bones, many 
bones, and the horns of cattle, feath- 
ers of geese, and woolly hides of 
sheep. The King gasped as he read 
there the story of the monster’s sup- 
per and that of his servant; for two 
such piles told him all the tale. The 
Ogre — for now the King knew the 
worst — the Ogre within had fin- 
ished oxen, geese, sheep full-grown 
59 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


and probably fat, all at a single 
evening meal; the giant servant must 
have devoured calves, goslings, and 
lambs. 

No wonder that after such a ban- 
quet both now snored and slept. 
There were fortunately however 
some crumbs of bread as large as 
your hand, and bits of cheese the 
size of your biggest marble, and a 
flagon of milk so heavy that the King 
could not lift it, but drank thirstily 
as one drinks from the waters of a 
lake. On all this he supped, and 
warmed himself well by the fire; but 
just as he was considering his next 
step, over rolled the Ogre, and open 
60 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


came the Ogre's red-rimmed eyes, 
and the King waited not for the 
hoarse bellow of surprise and anger 
that alas ! awoke the giant servant 
at the top of the granite steps. 

Too late to try to get by that way! 
There was a platform of stone over- 
hanging the forest, jutting out from 
the great window in the hall. To 
this leaped the King, leaving his 
cloak in the Ogre's outstretched 
hand, and over the stone rail he 
jumped; but alack! a tree branch 
caught in the silken rope which 
bound the fairy casket to the royal 
shoulders. It loosened, and though 
these same tree branches broke the 
61 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 



ure, which he had been even to the 
ocean’s depth to seek, and which con- 
tained their one hope, the magic slip- 
pers, had disappeared. 

The young King dared not linger. 
Already the Ogre and his servant, 
torch in hand, were coming fast down 
the great stone steps. The only 
thing for the moment was escape. 
So, shaken and breathless, the King 
ran on and on, looking back only 
62 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


once when he heard the monster 
pause. A golden gleam had caught 
the Ogre’s fiery eye, and in another 
moment he and his servant had for- 
gotten their prey, for the monster 
now held in his horrid hairy hands 
the magic casket of the Princess 
Florizelle. 

Can you imagine the feelings of 
the poor young King? I will tell you 
a secret, but you must never, never 
let anybody know. 

He cried! 

He really did. For King though 
he was, this last happening seemed 
a little too much, and if it hadn’t 
been for the Rosebush Fairy, he 
63 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


would probably have run right back 
with his eyes tear-blinded into the 
Ogre’s very arms, and made just a 
pleasant Prince-pie dessert, for 
that horrid monster’s supper. Which, 
as you may see, would have been no 
good to any one, except the Ogre, 
and we are not very anxious to please 
him. Are we ? 

But as I have said, the Rosebush 
Fairy had not forgotten, and was 
there to help, and she sent the most 
beautiful whiff of rose fragrance 
right through the forest. Hardly 
knowing what he did, the poor tired 
King, turning, followed his nose, and 
it led him to the dearest place you 

64 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


can imagine and about which I will 
now tell you. 

First of all he ran through a for- 
est of countless trees, then he beheld 
a clearing in the wood, and this 
clearing was fenced about with a 
very high and very thorny hedge 
made of the prickliest rose branches 
you have ever seen. But in the 
hedge, and part of it, so that you 
would never guess it, was a tiny 
door, all thorns and tough rose 
branches too. This swung open, and 
in went the King, much as a rabbit 
darts into a hole. Once inside, ah! 
there was a difference. A soft pink 
glow lit up the enclosure, which was 
65 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


of emerald turf. In the middle of this 
grass plot sat a tiny cottage, all white 
and roofed with rose-petal shingles. 
A path of silver pebbles led to the 
open door, and within it was like a 
big doll’s house, only a hundred times 
as sweetly pretty as any doll’s house 
you ever saw. A fountain laughed 
and leaped in the center of the big- 
gest room, throwing out showers of 
rainbow spray, and here one might 
bathe or quench one’s thirst; soft 
rose-colored pillows of down were 
heaped in a corner with a puff of rose 
satin beside them. All the chairs 
were of carved ivory with rose 
cushions. The curtains at the little 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


windows were of rose silk, and the 
curtain tassels themselves were just 
lovely carved pink coral roses. 

The other room was a tiny kitchen. 
Everything there was made of silver, 
even to the little saucepans. In the 
silver cupboard was honey and bread, 
— but not like the Ogre’s coarse 
brown loaves, — and milk, creamy and 
rich, — not like the Ogre’s blue 
watery stuff, — and angel cake, and 
pink and white peppermints, of which 
the King was tremendously fond, and 
roseleaf jelly, and sugar cookies in 
the shape of rose leaves. In fact, 
everything anybody could wish for. 
And one thing more. By the shining 
67 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


silver stove was curled a beautiful 
.White Cat with a rose-colored rib- 
bon about her neck. A wonderful 
Cat with a wonderful plumy tail ! 
And this Cat, as I have said, was no 
ordinary animal, for she got grace- 
fully to her feet, and rubbing against 
the King’s leg, purred out a welcome 
and told him in perfectly understand- 
able cats’ language where to find a 
complete new set of clothes (the 
King’s own were, as you may imagine, 
by this time both soiled and torn). 
Then she suggested politely a bath 
in the fountain, and supper which 
the White Cat herself would serve, 
and then bed on the silken pillows, 
68 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


under the rose puff, and quite safe 
from Ogres or bad fairies of any kind, 
here in the good Fairy of the Rose- 
bush’s very own cottage. To all of 
which the King assented, and though 
he had lost for the time being the 
golden casket, still something told 
him that maybe with help and pa- 
tience and courage he might regain 
it. Wherefore, having bathed and 
supped and laid him down on the 
silken cushions, the King’s eyelids 
closed, lulled to peaceful slumber by 
the soft purring of the White Cat 
curled up at his feet and guarding 
him from every evil dream. 

Morning came and the King 
69 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


awoke, feeling all made over new and 
longing for adventure. He had a 
hasty breakfast, the White Cat sit- 
ting at the same table and lapping 
her saucer of cream most politely. 
Then together they consulted as to 
the best way of regaining the lost 
casket. It appeared that the Ogre 
was the White Cat’s worst enemy, 
that he was indeed an ugly and cruel 
monster, the worst of all the inhab- 
itants of the dark forest. His serv- 
ant was just a stupid giant-sort of 
fellow, who would do no harm under 
the right master. And after a little 
talk the King knew just what to do. 
It took some courage, for he had to 
70 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


walk right up to the Ogre’s castle, 
he and the White Cat, and ask for 
the Ogre himself. 

Standing on the immense doormat 
at the entrance, with 

WELCOME 

in tremendous letters upon it, the 
King’s heart almost failed him, for 
he knew right well indeed the kind 
of welcome an Ogre gives, and he 
had no wish whatsoever to be kept 
in the pantry, or hung up in the 
larder to await the monster’s supper 
time. 

But the White Cat had said 
“ Ring the bell,” and the King 
obeyed. Hardly had the echoes like 


7i 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


thunder died away when the giant 
servant, looking very stupid and 
sleepy and surprised, pulled open the 
door and let them in, and the White 
Cat, entering boldly without more 
ado, jumped on the back of the 
Ogre’s chair and woke him with a 
tap from her paw. 

The Ogre (fortunately) was just 
through breakfast, or I fear he would 
have bolted the pair straightway and 
no talk about it. He sat staring at 
the strange couple, lolling back in his 
great carved chair, and began pick- 
ing his teeth (he had no manners at 
all, that Ogre) with a toothpick the 
size of a fence rail. And he thought 
72 



iMBaK 


The White Cat awakens the Ogre with a tap of her paw 














THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


it such a joke that the King and the 
tWhite Cat had ventured to measure 
wits with him that it put him in 
quite a good humor. 

The King explained that he and 
his Cat had with them a very choice 
dish, which they begged the Ogre to 
taste. They said that only the great- 
est and most powerful of Ogres 
could eat of their cooking, and per- 
haps this one would not be able to 
take more than a mouthful, but if 
he succeeded in swallowing it all, 
they would proclaim him the biggest, 
most wonderful Ogre that had ever 
yet been seen. 

“ Humph,” said the monster, “ I 


73 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


grind bones to make me bread; 
wherefore should I fear your trump- 
ery, tupenny mess of food?” (I said 
he was a rude creature.) “ Give it 
here. Afterwards I’ll swallow you 
both as tidbits.” 

“ Nay,” said the King, bowing and 
smiling, “ afterward, and it please 
you, my Cat shall show you some 
magic to beat yours, that is just her 
own invention. That is, unless you 
fear to be beaten by a Cat.” 

“ Rascal ! ” snarled the Ogre, show- 
ing his great yellow teeth in a rage, 
“ Fll have you fried, boiled, baked, 
stewed, and skewered for this, if your 
boast be empty. And yonder White 


74 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


Cat I’ll toss from my highest tower/’ 
“ As you please,” answered the 
King calmly, though indeed he turned 
pale, which the White Cat, being 
already as white as anything, 
couldn’t well do. “ Here then is our 
dish,” and from under his mantle the 
King brought forth a garnished plat- 
ter on which was something that 
looked like a pudding, but which had 
within it instead of raisins a quantity 
of silver pebbles from the walk which 
led to the White Cat’s cottage. Per- 
haps you’ve heard of pudding stones? 
Well, these were the very .first that 
were ever so used, and when the Ogre 
angrily snatched a mouthful he at 
75 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


once broke off two of his best teeth 
trying to chew them. 

The White Cat smiled slyly be- 
hind her lifted paw, and the Ogre 
in a rage threw the pudding into the 
fire. 

“Too bad!” said the King softly, 
“ but we really felt, you know, that 
you wouldn’t quite be able to manage 
it.” 

“ Bring on your magic ! ” roared 
the monster, more angry than he’d 
ever been in his life and bound to 
outdo these daring strangers before 
he’d make a meal of them. 

“Very well,” said the White Cat, 
who, being own cousin to the famous 
76 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


Puss-in-Boots, knew quite well what 
she was about. “ Watch me and do 
the like if you can,” and there before 
the astonished eyes of the King, the 
White Cat began to swell. Larger 
and larger she grew and soon was 
the size of a calf; larger still, till she 
was as big as a cow; and then slowly 
but steadily till she stood there the 
size of an elephant, a giant elephant; 
and bigger still, till her plumy tail 
swept the ceiling, and her green eyes 
were large as saucers. 

Then slowly, like a balloon that is 
tired, she began to get smaller and 
smaller, till presently there stood the 
White Cat, smiling pleasantly, and 
77 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


exactly the same size she had been 
before. 

“ Hum,” muttered the Ogre and 
drew a long breath, and he swelled 
and swelled till the King and White 
Cat had to creep close into a corner 
lest they be crushed to a jelly, for 
the monster filled the enormous room 
nigh to overflowing. Then slowly 
he came back to his natural size, 
which was big enough anyway, good- 
ness knows. 

“Alas,” murmured the White Cat, 
wiping away a tear with her paw as 
she spoke. “ At this game you have 
beaten, but,” she added quickly, “ I 
don’t believe you can do this.” And 
78 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


before the Ogre could answer, the 
White Cat began to shrink. Smaller 
and smaller she became, till at last 
she was the size of a kitten, then 
the size of a very small mouse, when 
she began, by very slow degrees, to 
get back to her proper size again. 

“Ha!” shouted the Ogre. “At 
this too I can beat you!” And he 
too began to shrink and shrink till 
soon he was but the size of an ordi- 
nary man; then he became as small 
as a dwarf, and at length he was just 
the size of a mouse, but a mouse so 
tiny that I for one have never seen 
one like it ; and very queer he looked, 
T can tell you. But just then some- 
79 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


thing happened, which the Ogre had 
not foreseen. 

The White Cat was ready, and in 
an instant, before the Ogre could 
grow big again, out flashed her paw, 
and the terrible monster lay dead be- 
neath it. 

At this the young King uttered a 
cry of joy so loud that in ran the 
Ogre’s servant, only to find no Ogre, 
but the King and the White Cat 
dancing madly about, paw in hand, 
and so full of triumph that it took 
them some time to make the poor 
big stupid fellow understand that the 
Ogre was dead, and the young King 
was now the master. 

80 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


However, they did at last manage 
it, and having received from him the 
keys of the treasure chamber, the 
King proceeded to look for the magic 
casket, while the White Cat, purring 
loudly and with gently waving tail, 
pointed with her paw to such things 
as suited her fancy. The Ogre’s serv- 
ant obediently made these into a 
bundle to bear away, all but a dia- 
mond collar which the White Cat 
herself put on at once, and very be- 
coming it was, to be sure. 

There were many beautiful things 
in the Ogre’s castle, but none so 
beautiful to the young King’s eyes 
as the thing he had so long sought, 
8 1 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


the casket which contained the fairy 
slippers of the lovely Florizelle. He 
wished of course to 
start at once for home 
and the Prin- 
cess, and he 
urged the 
White Cat to 
come with him. 

“You shall 
have,” said he, 

“ everything that a Cat of your quality 
and noble nature deserves. Slaves to 
fan you, silken cushions to your liking, 
the richest of cream served in a jew- 
eled saucer, selected cats of the best 
families for company, and a new col- 
82 



THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


lar of gems for every day in the 
year.” 

But the White Cat declined with 
thanks. 

“You are a dear,” said she, “and 
just one of the nicest Kings I have 
ever met, but I couldn’t bear to leave 
my little cottage. All I ask is the 
Ogre’s servant to scrub the floors 
for me and wash the dishes, for I 
just can’t bear to get my paws wet.” 

To this of course the King gladly 
agreed, and by the White Cat’s 
urgent invitation he seated himself 
on her plumy tail, and was thus 
carried without any trouble at all 
right through the dark wood and out 
83 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


into the open sunshine, in which the 
distant palace roof of the King’s own 
royal castle was gleaming. The giant 
servant, very content to serve the 
White Cat instead of an Ogre, started 
for his new home, where by his new 
mistress’s orders he was put immedi- 
ately on a magic diet, which should 
soon reduce him to a suitable size 
to live in the White Cat’s cottage. 

Everything now being happily set- 
tled, we must go back for a brief 
space to Florizelle’s royal parents, 
who had of course watched with the 
greatest interest the pictures graven 
on the chest of gold, which told of 
their daughter’s doings. 

84 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


The old King was a monarch of 
violent temper, and it took all the 
Queen’s arts to keep him from fol- 
lowing Florizelle instantly and exe- 
cuting everybody right and left who 
had in any way molested her. But 
his wife kept warning him to beware 
of meddling with the Fairy of the 
Rosebush, and to trust that the magic 
shoes would soon lead the Princess 
into happier ways; and she managed 
to keep him fairly quiet until the 
awful day which disclosed the Fairy’s 
anger, their daughter’s punishment, 
and the loss of the golden casket. 

Then the wrath of the King knew 
no bounds, and his anger was all 
85 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


directed against Florizelle’s suitor: 
“ that addle-pated boy,” as the old 
Monarch put it, who had thrown the 
shoes into the fire and so brought 
all this trouble upon his beloved 
child. “ But HI fix him,” roared the 
King; and he ordered his army to 
the front on the instant and marched 
off to fight against Florizelle’s lover. 

Now when the Prime Minister, 
whom the young King had left as 
Regent, heard that the Princess’s 
father was coming to bear her away, 
he was in a great state of mind, be- 
tween his desire to obey his master 
and his fear of the approaching 
enemy. At last, however, the fear 
86 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


of the enemy conquered, since this 
was a very present evil, and his mas- 
ter, for all he knew, many miles dis- 
tant. He accordingly ordered every- 
body to surrender, and with his own 
hands pulled down the banner that 
hung from the Palace flag-staff, and 
the young King’s regiments therefore 
peacefully stacked their arms where- 
ever they chanced to be. 

The invading Monarch’s anger was 
somewhat lessened by this complete 
submission, so he told his army to 
stand at attention while their officers 
took possession of the Palace and 
went to dinner, while he himself 
sought at once his daughter’s cham- 
87 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


ber to prepare her for the news of 
her departure for home. 

Things were therefore just at this 
point when Florizelle’s lover ap- 
peared in the streets of his capital, 
with the golden chest safe and sound, 
and you can imagine his indignation 
at seeing his disarmed soldiers and 
an enemy’s flag proudly waving over 
his own Palace. 

He at once bade his army take up 
their weapons, and as there were no 
officers of the enemy to counter- 
mand this order, it was obeyed at 
once. Then in a loud voice the 
young King commanded the foe to 
surrender, and as none of the com- 
88 



The Prince must place the magic slipper on Florizelle’s 
dainty foot. 





THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


mon soldiers liked to question this 
new authority, that too was done. 
Then putting himself at the head of 
one half of his troops and leaving 
the rest to guard the prisoners, the 
young King rode straight to the 
Palace, which was re-taken without 
bloodshed, all before Florizelle’s 
father had left his daughter’s 
chamber. 

Without wasting words, the victor 
now sought this self-same apartment, 
and producing the magic slippers 
from the golden chest, had them on 
Florizelle’s little feet in a jiffy, and 
before her astonished parent could so 
much as question the proceeding. 

89 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


Of course, after that it was all 
plain sailing. Florizelle and her 
lover and Florizelle’s father and 
mother were now quite too happy 
to quarrel with one another, and the 
two armies marched out side by side 
with equal honors of war, and I truly 
wish all such disputes might so pleas- 
antly and peacefully be settled. 

The wedding day was set at once, 
and Florizelle and the young King 
were married with the greatest mag- 
nificence. The Fairy of the Rose- 
bush gave the bride away, Florizelle’s 
little dog sat at attention with a rose 
in his mouth; the White Cat herself 
held up the bride’s train and beamed 
90 


THE MAGIC SLIPPERS 


upon the loving pair, and when she 
was leaving she whispered in the 
Princess’s ear that Florizelle’s trou- 
bles were all behind her, and that, as 
had been promised, the magic shoes 
should only lead in the future 
through flower-strewn ways where 
thorns were all unknown. 



THE END 














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